I now understand the mixed reviews and it’s not necessarily a reflection on the book or the readers; it’s just a unique and disturbing premise written in an even more unique style. Honestly, it reminds me of the movie Momento with Guy Pearce.

So, we have a first person narrator giving us his recollections of some traumatic experiences from his childhood after a ‘come to Jesus’ talk with his mother. Therefore, this story gives a very disjointed, redacted, and confused dreamlike vibe—though it’s only told by one POV it actually feels like multiple perspectives, and none of them are reliable. The author’s use of inference is what truly makes this book creepy A F, because they clearly respect that your imagination will always be a better horror writer. 

There are some descriptive scenes of bodily injuries that made me cringe a lil but they can easily be skimmed over if you’re squeamish. Additionally, references of mental illness, child murder, and animal cruelty are present—I wouldn’t personally categorize them as graphic, but that’s just me 🤷🏻‍♀️